I'm looking for guidelines for clothes. I figure, bring a bunch of socks, to always have dry socks.
How about jeans? Does anybody hike with jeans?
How many changes of clothes? Pairs of pants? Shirts? Etc...
For a 1 night?
3 nights?
1 week?
Multi-week?

For weekend trips I take two set. One set of clothes for walking (pant, top, undie, socks.) and set for lounging around camp. I also have both top and bottom baselayer, hat, jacket, and rain gears.

To add this up:

2-tops
2-pants (or one pant and one zip off short)
jacket
2-undie
3 or 4 socks
hat
rain set.
top and bottom base layers.

I'll have a change of clothes in the car for after the hike. When i arrive to camp i let the hiking set dry off, while in camp set of clothes. This is just me. Whether I take short or long sleeve is depending on the season. Usually I have short sleeve while walking and wear long sleeve around camp or take multiple long sleeves during winter months.

I don't take any changes of clothing even on my longer (3-week) trips except for one change of socks. All the rest of my clothing gets washed when necessary. This means that for trips of a week or less, my outer garments just get dirty. OTOH, I wash my underwear every other day and just go commando while it dries. I try to wash my armpits and neither regions daily; this keeps my undies from getting too foul. I wash my feet daily too to keep trail dirt out of my sleeping bag.

I wash my socks in the evening and hang them from my pack to dry the next day. That gets the sweat and stinkies out but some of the dirt remains behind. I have a pair of socks that I used on my 2008 JMT hike that have been washed numerous times since 2008: they still have JMT soil ground into them five years later.

Taking changes of clothing adds weight that I would rather not carry.

I don't hike with jeans. They are heavy, cold when wet and take forever to dry when wet. Nylon hiking pants are better in all ways.

Weekend trip, 3 season - 2 days one night - I wear synthetic short or long sleeve shirt, synthetic convertible pants, underwear and socks. Pack one pair of spare underwear and socks. Cooler weather I sleep in a set of clean long underwear and a fleece hat or in summer sleep in the spare pair of underwear. Carry rain gear and extra layers such as lightweight down sweater, light fleece as needed. I try to take only enough clothing so that I will be wearing most my layers to the coolest conditions. Im a cold sleeper and would rather take one extra, light weight layer for my torso than to be uncomfortably cold at night. Not sure if this is the best
way, just what works for me. Clothes are heavy and I dont mind wearing pants or shirts multiple days.

jimmyb

I mostly backpack in cooler weather so I wear long undies and jeans, or thick fleece pajama pants under nylon pants. I wear a long sleeve under shirt, sometimes a T-Shirt over that, and I have a wide variety of jackets, coats, and sweaters I wear for outer layers depending on conditions.

I bring one change of socks, an extra pair of light fleece bottoms, and an extra under shirt, short or long sleeves, depending on conditions, and change into them at night.

I know I'm getting dirty out there, and if it's really cold I'll wash my hands and face a lot but, like Rancid Crabtree, I just let the rest of myself gather its natural "Protective Coating", including my cloths. But most of my trips are 2-4 nights. If I went a week I'd wash my clothes, probably only once. Personally, I think Rancid is right, it's good for you to waller in the dirt once in awhile.

I don't know if Rancid Crabtree does this or not, but for health purposes I take at least one dip in a creek each year before the first day of Spring, and I do it when I'm backpacking. It's been passed down here that this is supposed to keep you from getting sick all year long so I'm going with the flow on this. But after just a couple days of bushwhacking around that can be really refreshing, and it's just plain fun too. I've even had my hiking partners thank me. Sometimes it's just too cold to take the plunge, but there are always days when it's irresistible, so for me it just depends, and I just ignore any complaints from people who are too darn close to me anyhow out there.

My approach is similar to what others have already described. I bring the clothes I hike in, plus enough outerwear to stay warm or dry during a spell of cold or wet weather, plus one change of socks. I usually bp during warm weather, so it is a fairly simple matter to put on a clean pair of socks, then wash my dirty socks and have them dry within a day. I do bring a very lightweight silk t-shirt and some low-top ankle socks just to wear inside my sleeping bag, to help keep it clean.

This basic plan doesn't alter, even if I am hiking for 3 weeks, but for a long trip like that I do a bit of hand-rinsing or hand-washing of all my clothes on a day when I don't hike much distance. I try to wash myself once a day.

This approach does put a premium on having clothes that aren't worn out to begin with, and I reinforce all the buttons before I ever take a piece out with me! I do not ever hike in jeans. Once wet they never dry. They are heavy. Although they are durable they are not versatile, like convertible pants with zip-off legs.

Apart from the clothes I'm wearing as I leave the trailhead, the reserve of warm/clean clothes in my pack weighs approx. 2.5 to 3.5 lbs. depending on the trip length and weather forecast.

For a weekend in the summer, I wear Icebreaker undershorts, nylon shorts, an Icebreaker T-shirt (100 or 150 weight, I think), a nylon hat with a full brim, and a pair of Icebreaker socks. (Icebreaker is a brand of merino wool that, for most people, isn't itchy.) It all dries quickly. My change of clothes is a pair of socks. A Gore-Tex rain jacket and rain pants also ride in my pack, and double as wind garments if needed.

For 4 or more days in the summer, I'd add a second T-shirt and undershorts, and a second set of socks to my spare clothing. As things get dirty, rinse them out and keep going.

For winter travel, I layer lightweight Icebreaker long underwear tops and bottoms under my summer outfit, wear glove liners, and replace the hat with a light wool stocking hat. Depending on the temperatures, I'll carry some or all of Western Mountaineering down pants, down vest, down hooded jacket, and down booties, plus some down mittens (Sierra Designs, maybe?) These get worn in camp as insulating garments, and provide worst-case backup insulation for my 20-degree sleeping bag. Usually, but not always, I'll carry midweight Icebreaker long underwear tops and bottoms. When I get to camp I change out of the often-damp (sweat) lightweight longjohns, shorts, and T-shirt, since dry clothes keep you warmer than wet. I then wear the dry long johns to bed, like pajamas, and my trail stuff usually dries out by morning if I hang it inside the tent. The extra winter clothes add 3 to 4 pounds to my pack weight, and are well worth it.

I hiked in jeans on my first backpack trip; I switched to shorts on my second trip. I find long pants too restrictive - but that's strictly a personal preference. If you like long pants, go with nylon pants.

Good old Rancid - I'd lost track of him! Is he still trying to date Pat's teacher?

I take only the amount of clothes I need to stay warm and dry in the worst possible conditions for the area in which I'm going, when worn all at once. Plus one change of socks. No difference whether the trip is one night or 10. If it looks as though the weather will be wet, I used to take a third pair of socks to wear in bed. I splurged and bought a pair of down booties for sleeping a couple of years ago, so I don't need that third pair. Otherwise I do recommend sleeping socks.

I generally wear my base layer (fka long underwear) only at night (in bed) and on cold mornings (I change out of them just before taking the tent down. That way they don't get wet or sweaty.

I strongly recommend leaving anything cotton at home. Cotton takes forever to dry when it gets wet (what's the last thing out of the dryer?). My daughter insisted on wearing jeans on a hike through wet brush and developed early symptoms of hypothermia even though the the air temperature was about 60*F. Plus cotton absorbs so much moisture that it gets incredibly heavy, and it clings to your body making it harder to move. The cotton jeans and t-shirt should be left in your vehicle to change into for the drive home.

You might want to check out the 7-day gear list on the home page of this site, left hand column.

I take one set of clothes to hike in and one set of clothes to sleep in. I do take one extra pair of socks

What you take depends on the weather. There are plenty of lists on the Internet and many on this site alone. so there is no one generic answer. But there are a few generalities that apply in most cases:

No Jeans. Ever. As others have said, they are too hot in warm weather, will not keep you warm in cold weather and once wet, heavy and will not dry out. Wet clothes will cause hypothermia, even in relatively warm weather and will freeze solid in really cold weather. Wet clothes in cold weather can kill you, even in weather above freezing. When I say "kill you" I mean it. I've read far too many accounts of people dying from hypothermia while wearing jeans, t-shirts, cotton jackets, etc. instead of proper insulated and waterproof clothes.

Nylon wind pants, waterproof rain pants, wool or synthetic pants are all better alternatives to jeans. Same applies to cotton t-shirts, socks and outerwear in cold wet weather. No jeans jackets, cotton hoodies, etc. Wear fleece or wool instead. Even cotton underwear is a bad choice. Get something synthetic. There are always some exceptions- cotton t-shirts are fine in hot, dry weather, but there are better synthetic choices for hot weather too.

Take clothes you can layer. Longer trips mean more clothes, but you can keep them to a minimum with layers.

I still wear them and most everyone I backpack here with does too, but for me it depends on the current conditions and the weather forecast and I most always bring some lightweight nylon pants and long johns in case I do get wet. They're light and pack small.



I've never actually seen wool pants made for hiking. Nylon and other synthetics that I've worn let thorns and stickers right through and I've ripped them and my legs up bushwhacking around.

Army surplus dress wool pants make good hiking wool pants. Things may be different now. Not sure the military still use dress wool pants. But, go to Goodwill and you can find many dress wool pants - just pick the ones that are tight weave.

Climbing pants, made of, for example, Schoeller dryskin, are very tough. There are other similar materials with different names. I have had a branch actually poke through my climbing pants, enough to draw blood, but the material "heals" itself so no hole. They are water resistant enough to fall in a stream and if you can get out quickly, shake off the water and they are almost dry. These good quality pants are expensive - $200 range. The general name for these pants are "soft shell" pants. They are tough and slightly stretchy too and most have "articulated knees" which make them not bind when you hike.

If you plan on layering to keep you warm, be sure the layers fit properly. You may have to get one size larger for your outermost layer. If the outer layers are too tight, you loose the insulating value of the under layers. This is particularly important if you are using a down sweater as one layer. I use mostly fleece and down in cold-dry conditions. I switch to wool-synthetics for wet-cold conditions. In wet conditions I bring rain pants; I do not take them most of the time in summer (in the Sierra).

I also find that a balaclava in addition to a fleece hat really adds warmth for the few ounces.

I never take extra clothes just for the sake of having clean clothes. I wash clothes if I am on long trips.

Clothing needs are area-specific. Find out what experienced backpackers in YOUR area use.

You can find surplus wool pants online. Various armies have used them, so the surplus stores have them.

I've been learning here. This is the evolved list that I'm using for the AT in VA/MD in Nov-Feb w/o snow. Note that I've abandoned boots in favor of running shoes and lightweight socks - which is impractical in snow, but after epic blisters going over the Priest my Danners are for standing around in fields with Scouts or splitting wood. I should have listened to WD and OM in '09 and saved myself $200.

Note that I generate an EPIC amount of heat when I hike. I've been in falling snow with a hat, mittens, a t-shirt and lightweight pants. Most of the extra clothes are for when I stop.

YMMV. Mine certainly does.

WORN:
- khaki pants - summerwieght polyester dress
- Belt
- Synthetic T-shirt
- Synthetic underwear - boxer briefs
- Black fleece (light)
- Tennis shoes
- Smart wool Socks
- Handkerchief
- Wallet (stripped down)
- Watch
- Sunglasses/glasses
- Black Fleece Hat
- Black glove liners

In the bag/spares
- Stuff sack
- 1 pair synthetic/wool socks
- 1 spare underwear
- 1 short sleeve shirt (not nylon)
- 1 long john top
- 1 long sleeve blue EMS shirt
- Patagonia Nano puff pullover
- 1 long john bottom
- small camp towel
- Paclite jacket
- Heavier Gloves (down filled mitts)

I did end up dropping the jeans this trip.

Here's my final gear:
Worn:
Sneakers (These will be OUT the next trip.)
Cotton socks
Nylon ExOfficio convertible pants (Really saved my bacon)
Cotton T-shirt (will get synthetic next trip, worked for this tho)
Cotton Boxer briefs (Synth next time, but this still helped)
Ball Cap
Belt, ID Wallet, Watch

In the bag to change (copies of above):
T-shirt
Boxer briefs
Socks
Bandanna

In the bag for spare:
T-shirt
Boxer briefs
2x socks
2x Bandanna
Light gloves
Wool Cap
Liner socks

The briefs are great to prevent chaffing.
The 3rd bandanna went to my partner who had nothing to keep the sweat out of his face.
Socks were handy since I got hot and could swap out damp for fresh. (Also brought a small bottle of Goldbond powder)

What really saved my bacon this trip was the convertibles. Less than a mile in, I took off the bottoms, since it was warmer than we expected. Never put them back on this trip. The ball cap was replaced by a bandanna at the same time, and never went back on.

I didn't need a base layer to sleep in, was warm enough without. We got some rain at, so the items that had been drying did not, so the extra weight paid off in having dry/fresh stuff the next day.

I planned for worst case weather this trip, and got almost the opposite. But the weight was not enough to complain about. If I can get synthetic next time, I will swap out some items.

I could have probably rinsed some items out, the t-shirts dried pretty quick, but given the rain, and we slept out with no shelter, drying was an issue. I don't think the weight was as big a problem, but I'll be mulling over my choices next time.

Thanks for all the tips.

One of the big advantages of synthetic or wool socks is that they don't mat down the way cotton socks do, so you can wear them for a long time and not have as many friction issues. Ditto with synthetic underwear over cotton underwear/t-shirts.

Not only that, but merino wool socks feel dry even when still damp!

Look in the big box stores for relatively inexpensive underwear and socks that aren't cotton. Look in the athletic section, not the outdoors section.

Costco usually has great buys on merino wool socks in the fall, if you're a member (or, like me, can go shopping with one).

I never hike in jeans. There are just so many other options that are better.

Cotton canvas, like carharts, are much better as far as durability and even drying time. Although they still take forever to dry. But since they are a tighter weave, there isn't as much of a sponge effect.

Army combat pants, or BDU pants, or whatever you want to call them. The older ones are 100% cotton. Most of the newer ones are NYCO, which is 50% nylon, 50% cotton. They are really durable, lighter than jeans, cut better than jeans for a better fit, and dry much faster because they are 50% nylon.

Heavy duty dress pants, like Dickies and Carhart makes, are 70% polyester, 30% cotton. They are VERY durable, and dry much faster than jeans. I wear these to work every day, mostly because I have to look somewhat professional. But they are way more durable than jeans.

Polyester running/athletic pants. These aren't extremely durable, but they dry very fast, and can be found very cheap.

Nylon hiking pants are more comfortable for me, then the running pants. Plus, I like some pockets.

There are lots of other options out there, that others have already mentioned. Needless to say, I would classify jeans as the worst choice for hiking.

9-11 tactical pants come in heavy ripstop - infinitely better than jeans.

I have a pair of brushed nylon Kuhl pants that you would swear were cotton, except they aren't. Very nice, all the qualities you want - wicking, quick drying, light - without the down sides of cotton. And they are more durable than the light zipoff pants I've ruined (six pairs, in the past two years, have developed holes and gone quickly into the rag bag).

Another pants option which I may have missed its mentioning is wool dress pants. I get used/seconds high end wool dress pants extremely cheap. They come in may different weights to be used in the different seasons. I am fortunate to be able to have open fires just about everywhere I camp and wool's natural fire retardant is much better than getting to close to the fire with synthetics.

And the look is very British Upper Class!

Nice!

I never thought of it that way. For me, I found the trifecta: warm, cheap and light! Of course that is usually referring to sleeping bags. The light wool in the summer has a nice cooling effect too. I do not know the science behind the wool and it's ability to cool but they are comfortable even in the summer heat. Natural mild water repellancy is a bonus.

W_D mentioned wool pants too. I think I'll have to go scrounge the thrift stores this week to see what I can find.

The only wool pants I've ever worn are from a suit I bought, and they are ultra thin and not at all warm on cold days. I'm afraid I'd tear those apart bushwhacking around here, that they'd not be any better than nylon at resisting thorns, and that I'd wear the seat and knees out on them with one trip.

The truth is, I've almost never worn that suit, so I really don't know. The one I have is 25 years old and still looks like new.

If I can find some heavier wool pants at a thrift store I will buy them and give it a shot. I'll be thrilled if they work better and/or weigh less.

Hi Pika,
Your approach sounds more my style. However I am curious as to how you actually wash your clothes. Are you at locations with facilities or are you doing it on the go? If the latter what's your water and soap source and where/how do you dispose of the dirty water. Im used to being outdoors and camping but new to backpacking so please forgive my ignorance.